Little Blue NRD

Primary programs and services
 

• SUPERIOR-HARDY WATER QUALITY SUB-AREA
  
  This area is a special ground water quality project for Southern Nuckolls County. Historical records of municipal water tests, and the creation of a rural domestic and irrigation water analysis program, have indicated that ground water nitrate levels are on the rise. The village of Hardy's water supply had been at or near the U.S. Public Health and Environmental Protection Agency's maximum safe standard of 10 PPM for a number of years. Non-point pollution, or the contamination of a resource over a wide area from an unspecified source, threatens much of our water supply. For that reason, LB 894 was passed by the Nebraska legislature in 1986 to provide the local NRD's the authority to carry out programs necessary to stabilize and reduce non-point pollution of ground water. It is under this authority that the Little Blue and Lower Republican NRDs have developed a comprehensive program to dress elevated nitrate levels in the ground water. The Superior-Hardy Special Ground Water Protection Area was the first such area declared in the state. The main technical and cost share assistance has been provided to install irrigation flow meters, irrigation pipelines, irrigation land leveling, irrigation tailwater recovery systems, center pivot conversions, irrigation water management and nutrient and pesticide management The first quick cycle irrigation tailwater recovery system built in the Little Blue NRD was installed on a field just north of the Superior High School. The local chapter of the Future Farmers of America operated the irrigation system and has used it as irrigation management education project. Due to its unique location it has created much interest by local land users and the general public.
  
   
• TRUMBULL BASIN SURFACE WATER PROJECT
  
  This approximately 4700-acre project in Northeastern Adams County involves twenty-one different landowners. It required a very complex solution to a problem resulting from attempts to drain wetlands in the 1960's. There is inadequate ground water to irrigate a corn crop in dry years since most wells in the area only pump between 200 and 500 gallons a minute. In wet years a great deal of the crops drown out due to long term ponding.
  
  All of the landowners and agency people from NRCS, Little Blue NRD, Upper Big Blue NRD, Nebraska Department of environmental Quality, US ARMY COE, US Fish & Wildlife, EPA, and the Bureau of Reclamation were brought together by Steven Moran, Rainwater Basin Joint Venture Coordinator. To restore the original wetlands in the basin is completely out of the question. NRCS developed a water budget of the drainage area, including irrigation runoff. It was decided to develop the key 80-acre tract into a wetland with varying depths from 3 feet to 1 inch. This tract was recently accepted into the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP). This 80-acre tract will also serve as a storage area to temporarily store runoff and distribute it to several landowners' concentration pits in the basin to be used for irrigation water during the growing season. In the fall after harvest water will be stored on cropland fields which once were wetlands. The idea behind this is to provide shallow water habitat for the spring migration and still allow the landowners to crop the land. The shallow water will be drained from the cropland starting at the end of March. This should allow the land to be dry enough to plant by planting season. The work plan calls for several pivot conversions to low pressure; surge valves and irrigation pipelines, variable flow return systems (instead of conventional reuse pits), and grassed waterways. Also included are dikes and water control facilities to allow the addition and removal of water from the seasonal habitat and the restored wetlands. The upper end of the drainage area has a slight erosion problem in the main channel and a system of waterways and drop structures will be installed to eliminate erosion. In addition to WRP and local funds, the producers will submit applications for a Nebraska Environmental Trust Grant, and other funding through the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture to assist with the $250,000 project.
  
   
• MARC WETLAND IDENTIFICATION PROJECT
  
  This Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) is located on public land that the US ARMY built the ammunition plant east of Hastings in Clay County. The Agriculture Research Service (ARS) operates MARC. In a cooperative venture with the ARS, US Army COE and Rainwater Basin Joint Venture (RWBJV), the NRCS is making an inventory of the wetlands on the approximately 35,000 acre tract.
  
  A similar inventory was made on private lands in the area approximately ten years ago. The inventory on private lands was carried out as a result of the 1985 Farm Bill or the Food Security Act (FSA) as it is more commonly known. Public lands were not covered by FSA. In an effort by the RWBJV to document the wetland acres in the Rainwater Basin, the ARS volunteered to allow an inventory of the public lands under their control.
  
  This was an important inventory since the land is located in approximately in the center of the Rainwater Basin. The Basin covers all or parts of seventeen counties in central Nebraska. This area is in the Central Flyway for many of the migrating waterfowl such as ducks, geese, sandhill cranes and even an occasional whooping crane.
  
  The wetland determinations are being made using state of the art procedures including GIS and GPS. Using aerial photography, eighteen years of USDA Farm Service Agency slides, USFWS National Wetland Inventory Maps and the NRCS soil survey, wetlands were tentatively identified on aerial photos in the office. The determinations were verified in the field and GPS technology was used to verify the wetland boundaries. The GPS data was then downloaded into the GIS format using ArcView.
  
  The final product will consist of not only maps with the individual wetlands identified, but also be stored on CD-ROM for later use by ARS and other partners in the project. The GIS format will include the location, size and type of wetlands found on MARC.
  
  Although this process may have been used in other wetland determinations, this is by far the largest project completed using this technology in Nebraska.
  
   
• HAYDEN THOMPSON WETLAND
  
  This project sets on land that the US ARMY built the ammunition plant east of Hastings in Clay County. The Army built concrete bunker silo's three in a group spaced approximately 300 feet between groups. There are six rows of groups on this property that stretches approximately six miles in length. To hide the concrete from an air raid attack the Army dug borrow pits between the groups of buildings and used the dirt to cover the concrete bunkers.
  
  Hogs are raised in the bunkers in the first four miles of the farm. A complex system of several anaerobic lagoons treats the wastewater. The treated effluent was stored in the last two miles of pits and eventually would evaporate.
  
  The landowner & manager are both wildlife enthusiasts, and wanted to create the best wildlife habitat that they could on the farm. Steve Moran invited engineering and conservation planners from the NRCS, biologist from US Fish & Wildlife Service, engineering from Ducks Unlimited, biologist from Game & Parks Commission, along with personnel from the US Army COE, and the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.
  
  NRCS surveyed the site and then held a meeting with the landowner, the landowners staff of water quality specialists and the Game and Parks and USFW biologists. The biologists and landowner determined what would best suit the migrating waterfowl and NRCS designed and drafted a plan to complete the project. The landowner applied for and received an Environmental Trust Fund Grant to fund the project. Water quality of the project will be monitored by the USFW. NRCS supervised construction and certified the plans by a professional engineer. NRCS and NEGPC assisted the landowner in getting all the needed permits to construct the project.
  
  This is a unique project. It both created and restored wetlands which utilize not only rainfall runoff, but also treated effluent from a confined hog operation. The landowner pumps over a million gallons of fresh water a day in the hog operation. They also have full control over the water levels of all the lagoons. The treated effluent has been applied as irrigation water to cropland on the farm. Now it will be applied to the wetland to provide moist soil conditions for annual wetland food plants for the migrating waterfowl and shore birds.
  
  This project is located between two big wetlands owned by the US Fish & Wildlife. The existing wetlands in the area get over populated during migration. When this happens then the geese and other birds get cholera. The birds die by the thousands each spring in the Rainwater Basin during spring migration due to over populating the remaining wetlands in the Basin.
  
   
• LIBERTY COVE RECREATION
  
  Located two miles west from Lawrence, Nebraska, on Highway 4, two miles south and ¼ mile west in Webster County. This combination flood control and recreation project was a cooperative effort between Nuckolls and Webster Counties and the Little Blue NRD. NRCS provided the survey, design and construction inspection of two flood control dams.
  
  The second structure was developed as a recreation area by the Little Blue NRD. This site includes 36 acres of water located on 247 acres of land. Hiking trails, shelters, restrooms, boat ramp, boat dock, fishing, swimming, beach, picnicking, grills, camping, playground, water well, horse riding trail, arboretum and small game hunting. Winter sports include sledding, skating and snowmobiling.
  
  Water quality at the existing creek is considered excellent due to the many natural springs. The lake was stocked with bluegill, bass and catfish. The site is used frequently by many users in the four surrounding counties including many from Hastings, NE, about 30 miles northeast of the dam.
  
   
• FATHER HUPP WETLAND RESTORATION
  
  Located three miles west of Bruning, Nebraska. This project was completed in the fall of 1994. This wetland restoration project broke new ground in partnering between disciplines and agencies. The Nebraska Game and Park Commission brought biologist and land managers to the table. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service brought engineering and the ability to work with several landowners. When combined into one project, both agencies realized it was a lot easier to get the project completed.
  
  The Nebraska Game and Parks purchased a degraded wetland consisting of 160 acres. Since the NEGPC does not employ any surveyor's and construction inspectors, they asked the local USDA NRCS staff if they could assist with a survey. The NRCS surveyed the tract with assistance from NEGPC personnel. NRCS realized the need to restore wetlands in the area and this restoration project could be used as a show case project and as a learning tool for NRCS and. NRCS designed and drafted a set of plans to restore the wetland. It was determined by the biologist that water entering the wetland would need to be diverted to other area's of the wetland, so some of it could be dried out and then saturated to provide migrating waterfowl with moist soil plants to feed on. This was accomplished by building dikes in the right places and installing water control facilities to divert and control water. This allows NEGPC to fully control where the water goes and how much water is put there.
  
  The term bioengineering was born during this project. Bioengineering is getting all the needed agency personnel present to answer the project owner's questions during one field visit. It is a must to have at least a biologist, engineer, program person, and a land planner present. This way no one answers a question out of the range of his or her disciplines. The landowner gets the answers needed to make decisions without having to wait for the entire agency's to answer their program questions.
  
  The success of this project has lead to Game & Parks and NRCS partnering to restore 17 other Game & Parks owned wetlands in the Rainwater Basin region. While only two have been completed as of this date, almost all 17 have been surveyed, and soil probed to determine the depth to thew clay layer. Several of these have the designs and drafting done and are waiting funding to construct.
  
   
• MCNISH PARK EROSION CONTROL
  
  This project is located in the City of Fairbury. The City contacted, Michael Onnen, Manager of the Little Blue Natural Resources District (NRD), about a severe erosion problem, which developed in the park. There is approximately 40 acres of urban runoff, natural springs, road salt from US Highway 136 and the shopping mall parking lot. After two meeting's to discuss several options to fix the problem, it was decided to use the most aesthetic solutions to restore this historic and scenic park.
  
  There was 19 feet of drop from the upper end of the park, where water is delivered from storm drains to the bottom of the park where the runoff and spring water entered another culvert system. The length of the park was 450 feet. It was determined with the erosiveness of the soils that a 2 % fall on the valley floor of the park would remain stable.
  
  To keep the valley floor as dry as possible, the spring water would have to be captured. NRCS designed two grade reduction structures, a collection box, along with an underground outlet to deliver the spring water to the pond located between the two drop structures. The valley floor was totally reshaped, which involved excavating and hauling 30 or 40 truck loads of concrete rubble which the City had dumped into the gully to try and solve the problem. Then two concrete block chutes where installed in the bottom to remove 12 foot of the slope. The concrete block chutes are a new solution to use as grade stabilization in Nebraska. A video on how to install them was obtained through the NRCS in Illinois. The existing pond was drained and a two-foot thick clay liner was installed to remove the chance of any seepage. NRCS plant material center in Manhattan Kansas provided the salt tolerant grasses to be sowed in the valley bottom. The City installed several hydrants to water the new grass and get it established rather fast.
  
  The City is also restoring the existing waterfalls, which were man made out of native sandstone back in the 1930 era. There is a water fountain and several picnic areas in the park. The park is now returned to the scenic beauty in which it was fifteen years previous. The City of Fairbury reports that it is once again a favorite lunch and picnic area for the general public and the hazards of the erosion problem are no longer present. Several weddings are also held in the park during the spring, summer and fall.